The Times
by Bolt Shaped
Summary: She may love her brother, but the relationship between Hermione and Ron was, well wrong. Does it honestly take over four years to purpose and still have yet to set a date?


The first time they kissed she had saved his life. It was the only way he knew how to thank her. However he never expected it to linger in the back of his mind only to make reappearances at the most inopportune moments in time. Take the last fifteen minutes of his life for instance. Petit, gorgeous, soft curls, manicure, short dress that looked killer on the woman.

Two problems though, far too much makeup, makeup too many shades darker than her natural colour only to show her pasty neck. He could ignore this seeing as how by morning all that makeup would rub off and you would be able to see the flawless skin that was hidden away.

The second problem happened when her hand hit midway on his thigh with her lips lightly brushing his. This woman craving attention so badly that she would sleep with anyone just didn't appeal to him. She wasn't… he didn't know what he was looking for.

It was a year after that fateful day in the snowy field that he saw her again. Hand in hand with Ronald Weasley. Something tugged at his heart.

By the end of spring their first year, their offices at Gringotts were just across the hall from each other. To which might have been worse than death. Red hair in, red hair out, all bloody day long. Did that boy not have a job?

Fall

"Want to go for lunch?" She had asked.

"What?" he said in a very dumb manor.

"There's a new little café down the street, I was wondering if you'd like to come."

He nodded and stood to grab his coat, she ran over to his desk reaching over to grab his sleeve, "hurry I have a reservation, and it's just lovely out."

It wasn't. Somewhere between the last time she peaked outside and two minutes into their walk the downpour started. Hail was coming down in sugar cube sizes by the time they actually got there. The Wizarding Insurance was going to be pissed with the amount of money and time they would have to put back into everything.

The lunch turned into a coffee soon after they ate, and a few more before the hail let up in the late evening. Staying late wasn't something he liked to do, but watching Hermione sit on the floor of her office trying to cram five hours of work into the least amount of time possible was worth it.

Her vest was tossed to the side and her shirt buttoned a little lower than what would be appropriate for normal work situations, her skirt also hitched up passed her thigh do to her new sitting arrangement. The rest of the evening was spent passing airplanes asking this and that about new and old accounts.

All in all, besides the kiss five years ago, today was a one of the best days he has experienced in years.

Winter

Knock knock.

"Hey."

"Why on earth are you working? There's a party going on out there."

He noticed the ring adoring her delicate finger, the package in her hands meaning nothing compared to that ring. "And be surrounded by a bunch of drunken idiots?" He was referring to her fiancé at last years Christmas party.

She sighed and walked over to his desk placing the brown package there. "Ronald didn't come, he has work."

"How is it that every year you happen to be my Secret Santa?" This year he had gotten some temp that he believe tried to poison the people on his floor just so she would have an excuse to walk by his office. He had been trying to get Hermione's name since they started working there.

"You really want to know?" She didn't really wait for an answer. "I charm my paper so that if someone else gets you, before they open it, it jumps from paper to paper till it ends in my hands."

Maybe this was why he was secretly in love with her. "You do know that it's called Secret Santa for a reason."

She was sitting on the side of his desk just to the left of him staring at the wall. He could smell her perfume and an ounce of whatever she had decided was her choice of drink for the night, slobbering idiot was not her style.

He reached for the package and she reached for his hand to stop it.

"I want to give you something else."

Is this a dream he thought to himself as he felt her lips brush his. He briefly noted the flick of her wrist that sent his office door shut and locked.

Spring

"Draco!"

What? No need for yelling. "What Potter?"

"Finally! I've been standing here for a right seven minutes already with no answer from you." Draco stared blankly at him. "Gin demands you come to dinner as you haven't since Christmas."

Ah, right. Dinner. With Potter, his lovely wife and child along with Hermione and… Ronald Weasley. He could say no to Potter's wife again, the last time she into a meeting and ripped his ear off in front of very important clients. After the meeting Hermione told him the next time he refused to go, that Ginny would literally destroy his life. As if her engagement to the Weasley wasn't already doing so.

Dinner

It was going as expected. Joyous, Ginny knew the secrets of cooking. She also knew what he felt for her best friend, hence throwing a fit when he didn't come to her dinners before. She may love her brother, but the relationship between Hermione and Ron was, well wrong. Does it honestly take over four years to purpose and still have yet to set a date?

Draco had excused himself from the table with promise of returning shortly.

"Hermione do you mind getting dessert ready?" Ginny asked. Dessert was already ready and Hermione knew this. While Ginny didn't approve of dishonesty she knew that what the heart wanted was what the heart wanted.

Hermione was outside wait for him to open the door.

"Granger what are you doi-" He couldn't finish what he was saying as she pushed him back into the bathroom.

"Shush, we only have moments, make this good."

Winter

She had started working late, hoping he would catch on. He did. Their summer and fall came and went until Christmas rolled around again. And like every year she asked if he would be going to the office party. And for the first time he said yes.

Once again, she was his Secret Santa. Once again she has walked into his office with a neatly wrapped gift in tow. She handed it to him.

"I left Ron."

He was shocked, that was the last thing he thought he'd ever hear. "Hermione I'm so-"

"No, gods no Draco. Open it."

Plastic. A plastic stick with more plastic covering the end. "I don't understand."

"Well use your eyes Draco, read it."

| Not Pregnant

|| Pregnant

"…"

"Everyone just assumed Ron and I would be together till the end of time. Best friends of Harry Potter, we were forced to stay together. Last year just hours before the party I knew it wouldn't work. Besides the fact that he became a total ass years ago, he's slept with loads of idiotic women.

I was glad though. Relieved even. I could look at you and not feel guilty."

"You're, I'm, we're having a baby?"

She chuckled.

"I think I love you."

"I know I love you," she replied.

"My mother will be jumping off the walls when she hears of this." She beamed at him and that's when he noticed the absence to her engagement ring. Now that he thought hard on it, it had been absent since the night of the dinner many months ago.


End file.
